Posted on 08/31/2012 10:31:57 AM PDT by Kaslin
I wish the Republican Platform was binding.
Why? Because the GOP, for all intents and purposes, has just proposed to eliminate the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Health and Human Services, along with a host of other government programs, agencies, and departments.
More specifically, they endorsed the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which means they put themselves on record in favor of getting rid of all federal spending and intervention that is inconsistent with the Founding Fathers’ vision of a limited central government.
Here’s some of the story, as reported by The Hill,
All federal spending should be reviewed to ensure powers reserved for the states are not given to the federal government, according to the GOP platform approved Tuesday. The platform language is meant to ensure all federal spending meets the requirements of the 10th amendment, which prohibits state powers from being given to the feds. “We support the review and examination of all federal agencies to eliminate wasteful spending, operational inefficiencies, or abuse of power to determine whether they are performing functions that are better performed by the States,” the platform reads. “These functions, as appropriate, should be returned to the States in accordance with the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.”
For those of you who don’t have your Cato Institute picket Constitutions handy, here’s what the 10th Amendment says.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
In other words, the 10th Amendment is basically a back-up plan to re-emphasize that the federal government was prohibited from exercising power in any area other than what is specified in the enumerated powers section of Article I, Section VIII.
And if you look at those enumerated powers, that pretty much invalidates much of what happens in Washington.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Republican platform will have less impact on a potential Romney presidency than this blog. In other words, Republicans don’t intend to live up to this promise. Heck, they don’t even know that they have such a position. That’s why I included the asterisk in the title and must draw your attention to this fine print.
But I suppose it’s good that they included this language in the platform, even if it’s merely empty political rhetoric
P.S. If they did abide by the 10th Amendment, it means that Obamacare also would be repealed.
P.P.S. Yes, this implies limits on democracy. Our Founding Fathers, contrary to E.J. Dionne’s superficial analysis, were opposed to untrammeled majoritarianism and wanted to make sure 51 percent of the people couldn’t vote to rape and pillage 49 percent of the people.
Get rid of all non essential Gov’t. Slash the rest to bare bones. Let the courts do the work if they have to. I don’t care if the Czar(s) are cut. It will only add to unemployment “a little”.
Rules and Regs are getting complely out of control. Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians!
EJ Dionne is a superfical idiot. The Founders specifically worried about Dionne sort of untrammeled majoritarianism which is why they designed the check and balances into our political system.
Cutting Medicare and Social Security? Ha! Good luck with that.
Overturn Wickard v Filburn!
I have a list. Full list of Federal Agencies
I will provide detailed plans to use in crafting legislation and full citation of applicable Art 1 Sec 8 specified duties for what's left.
I'll do this for a grand total of $250k/year, plus medical and dental, and I'll consider myself under contract until the list above matches Art 1 Sec 8. I'll work from home on my own computers. I'll have the first bills ready to be voted upon by the time the next Congress is seated.
BIG GOVERNMENT IS CRONY SOCIALISM
“Socialism Is Legal Plunder” - The Law; Frederic Bastiat 1801-1850
“Above all, if you wish to be strong, begin by rooting out every particle of socialism that may have crept into your legislation. This will be no light task.” - The Law; Frederic Bastiat 1801-1850
DEPOPULATE socialists from the body politic. Here are some...
http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/caucus-members/
DEFUND their collectives. Here are a few.../sarcasm
http://www.usa.gov/directory/federal/index.shtml
live - free - republic
The only future for our kids...is just all that happening with powers transferred back to the States.
We will all live to see just how flexible and resilient a structure our Founding Fathers bequethed us.
Excellent! Now, here’s to actually doing it...
I didn’t see your link, Dead Corpse. Nice work. YOU’RE HIRED! Dead Corpse for President!
live - free - republic
Further, I've never voted for a gun ban, or a take over of a medical care industry. I believe that if it's human, killing it is murder. Even if said human is still in someone else's womb. So I'm more qualified the current GOP pretender.
Now all I need a a half billion dollars and we can get this campaign rolling...
Or... Some enterprising Congress-critter can put me on payroll at the above listed terms and I can get to work... It's a bargain in the long run.
Its really very simple. If half your budget is borrowed money, your government is twice the size it needs to be. It logically follows that you need to cut away about half of your government.
The things you don’t do from Washington don’t go undone. If they need doing, private people will pick up the slack, or private companies, or churches, or towns, counties, states. Thats how it works in a free country. If its a need, someone will build a company to do it. Or someone will set up a charity to do it. It will get done.
Best headline I’ve ever read.
If that is not a reason to vote Republican, I don’t know what is!
Try 90%. Possibly more...
For an extra $25k/annual, I'll even provide free market based solutions for any services that may have a "perceived" need. Like how to re-integrate the Air Force back into the Army/Navy/Marines. How to privatize NASA. How a model like the IEEE could be used to set up various free market consortium to take over for agencies like the FAA/FCC/FDA.
It's still a heck of a deal.
Re-vamp DHS to be a coordinating Agency that will help link efforts between citizen milita groups in various States operating under local Governor/County Sheriff auspices.
I agree with your list of agencies to eliminate completely. Add to it Department of Energy.
If we handed BLM land off to the states, we could shrink Interior down to nothing. Hand the parks over to the states, you could eliminate it.
Beyond State, Defense, and Justice, the rest are either optional or quite expendable.
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